Using smartphones is changing our brains

Neuroscientists have been studying the effects of repetitive movements on the brain. In the past, musicians and gamers used to be their subjects. But the popularity of touch-screen smartphones has led researchers in Switzerland to find new research groups. As a result, they found that the frequent use of smartphones is changing our brains.

The study, published in 01487-0, was published on December 23 in the Journal of Contemporary Biology. The researchers tried to discover the plasticity of the human brain by studying daily activities. Plasticity refers to the ability of a neural network to adapt to changes in the body or environment.

The theory of neuroscience holds that the somatosensory cortex of the brain can receive signals from sensory receptors in organs such as the skin, thus mapping the entire surface of the human body. For example, if you move your fingers, chew your tongue, and respond to these areas, you will receive a signal.

Brain plasticity and adaptation to repetitive gestures have been studied in musicians, gamers, etc. But researchers at the University of Zurich and Zurich Institute of Technology believe that smartphones offer a unique new research opportunity, because a large number of people use touchscreen smartphones every day, and research through smartphones can tell how our daily lives reshape the human brain. More importantly, these subjects are the general population. And smartphones can easily record what we do with our thumbs on the phone, providing a wide range of research data for neuroscientists.

The area where the thumb touches the screen and the activity of the EEG in the corresponding region of the brain

A total of 37 participants, 26 of whom were touchscreen smartphones, and 11 were using old-fashioned mobile phones. The researchers used EEG to study how ordinary smartphone users responded to tests, while the other 11 were compared.

The results showed that the use of smartphone users in the thumb, index or middle finger exposure to the brain activity will increase, and cortical activity level and the strength of the cell phone use (through the power log to determine) and frequency (touch the screen of the shorter frequency of the more frequent) is proportional. That is, the more smartphones are used, the more sensitive the fingers become, as the little finger of the violinist is more sensitive than the average person.

The study shows that repetitive movements of the fingers as they slide the screen are reshaping our handling of feelings from the hands, and our brains can adjust to the needs of using smartphones. Researchers believe this is one of the evidences that modern personal digital technology is constantly reshaping the human brain.